The Kitchen!

 I'll try to add pictures soon!  The kitchen is mostly sitting outside next to the garage waiting on a dumpster!  Everything was carefully removed, and some things were salvaged.  There are still some things to do, and we are still waiting for a contractor to get back in touch!  

(Window weights and pully system found in old windows that had replacement windows "placed" in them!)

Pete found window weights in the windows.  Even though the replacement windows are in now (and have been for over 15 years according to some information I saw), we can still see where the larger original windows were; and he found the old antique weights.  He thinks they'll be great to use when we walk for exercise!  When we put in the new windows, we can go back to a bigger size for more light.

We ordered all of our kitchen cabinets!  We were going to meet with four or five designers; but the first one was so good (with the biggest sale they have on cabinets during the year!), we decided to go ahead and order and did not continue our meetings!  Kitchen planning is a lot of work, and Pete has designed a few kitchens now.  We knew a lot of the dimensions we would need, and it helped to have a professional help plan it all out.  We are so excited that the cabinets and counter tops are ordered!  

Which made us think about appliances and the best time to buy them during the year...So we bought them over the weekend after Thanksgiving.  We had picked them out, and we had priced them and knew the prices were the lowest we'd seen.  So we felt good about getting the best deal.  We knew we'd pay a lot more in February or March.  We will just store them in the garage!

So the kitchen is planned out, and I was only disappointed in one thing - that I could not get my light blue island - unless I paint it (which I won't do myself!).  I'll make up for it with the backsplash and ceiling.  The plaster ceiling is in good shape, but we are planning on leaving it alone and covering it up with beadboard.  It will be another opportunity to use my very light blue to set off the white cabinets!

Our plans for the kitchen include white wood cabinets with a pantry (that's not too deep!) and an island with some seating.  We have picked out a pretty blue backsplash and quartz counter tops that have gray and white and just a little gold in them.  I ordered a shiny chrome bridge faucet for the big white apron farm sink.  Instead of black hardware, I decided on chrome.  The house has so much wood, that I hope the lighter fixtures will brighten things up a bit and bring out the pretty wood.

We decided the windows need to be replaced, because they are old and not very bright.  We want to make the most of the views from the kitchen.  So we are excited about bright new windows.

The floors have 10 million staples in them, so we will have to see what to do about them.  We may have to have a staple pulling contest!  We've removed lots of staples before.  Just not this many!

I finally ordered my wallpaper that I had picked out.  One day, it was sold out everywhere!  I could not believe it but found it and ordered it on another site.  Then it came back to all the previous sites, but I had already ordered it at a better price.  Joanna Gaines said on the castle renovation the other day that she was putting wallpaper in a room full of wood to brighten it up and bring out the best in the wood!  Hers was much more ornate, but it was the same concept!

On the advice of one of my nephews, I ordered lights this past week too - on sale.  I could not find anything I really really liked.  But I finally found some simple pendant lights for the kitchen and some schoolhouse lights for the rest of the house.  I liked one style so much that I got it for almost every room and saved a lot of money!  That was a big check off my list!

Other big ticket items we had left were bathroom vanities.  We knew the size we needed downstairs, and I picked one early on.  I have never changed my mind, so we ordered it.  Some of the ones I had picked out for Sam's bathroom were out of stock, but one I really liked the best came back into stock; so we ordered it!  And then I found the perfect one for my bathroom.  And it was only a little bit more than the one I kind of liked.  It's sitting in my driveway right now - covered by a tarp (Thanks, Mom and Dad!).  I'm told it's too heavy to be carted away.  So we will get it in the garage in the next day or so!

We have a lot to do before spring! But we feel like we've made some great progress with the help we've had!

I'll post some pictures soon!